The Regeneration Show is the most recent result of my efforts to grow as an artist through risk, experimentation, and by building on lessons learned over time.This particular body of work evolved after my decision last year to rework previously finished paintings. It has been liberating to let go of – and potentially destroy – pieces that seemed complete and precious at one time but later felt amateur, stagnant, and unremarkable to me. In their previous lives, most of them have hung in galleries, some have been part of large exhibitions, and a few were the result of testing a new technique or material and things just never went any farther than that (and I probably would have otherwise thrown away). They are the result of many years of being taught what not to do, while learning to embrace what could be possible if I allowed myself to experiment with different materials, meanings, marks, forms, and failures. It was important to me that hints of their former selves were still visible through the many translucent layers of wax not only because they would simply have more depth and be more visually interesting, but they would also remind me of my own personal progress.

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“Accretion” is a dry brush encaustic technique that allows the artist to build up wax on a surface. I’m kind of obsessed with it these days. First, five or so very well-fused layers of medium are put down onto a surface. Then … Continue reading →

I don’t know what these are going to “be” yet, but I do know that I loved making them. And I know that they need to stay together. And that I watched four musicals while making them. Why? Hell if I know….I was in a mood.

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For the last eleven years Conrad Wilde Gallery in Tucson, Arizona has hosted an annual exhibition devoted to works created from encaustic. This years Encaustic Invitational, Length x Width x Depth was terrific. Miles Conrad always does a great job of finding artists with unique voices, telling unique visual stories and he chooses works that […]

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A big part of what is appealing to me about encaustic is the “happy accident” factor. It is extremely hard for me to sketch and plan out a painting and execute it with absolute precision. I just don’t want … Continue reading →

Now that Santa has delivered these little fellas to their new owners and they are safely in Nebraska, thought I would share a little of my process and their progression…. On cradled panel, I put down base layers of blue vintage … Continue reading →

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About Me….

Fine art has provided me with the creative outlet I require in order to properly function since childhood. I am inspired by a feeling or visual cue almost every day, and creating art is my most natural response to that inspiration. With degrees in both photography and graphic design, I struggled to for years find my artistic “voice” and medium until discovering encaustic painting and collage in 2005. Texture, depth, and color (or lack of) are very important aspects of my work, and my paintings and prints are typically created from a combination of encaustic paint and medium, paper, fabric, cold wax, ink, shellac, bronze powder, mica, watercolor, and acrylic. My experience has been a mix of learning how to do things properly while simultaneously experimenting in practices that would most likely result in epic failure – and as a huge fan of the “happy accident,” something I have learned not to worry about. I love the meditative and sensory experience of working with wax. It allows me to incorporate the “messy, yet graphic” feeling that I have always been attracted to in art that I like into the art that I make.

Side Note: Why “Curly Tails Studio,” you might ask? Well, I have not made a piece of art within my home studio without the company of at least one pug dog since 2006. Matter of fact, there is one sitting on my foot as a write this. Seems right to give them some credit.

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